Feed-water heater and purifier.



No. 683,440. Patented Oct I, l90l. E. G. T. CULLES. FEED WATER HEATER AND PUBIFIER. (Appligatiol; filed Feb. 5, i900.) (No Model.) 3Sheets-Sheet H m 4 a If 1 No. 683,440. Patented Oct. l,,l90l.

E. G. T. EOLLES.

FEED WATER HEATER AND PURIFIEB.

(Application filed Fab. 5. 1906. (lo lllodel.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M" w w 1' No. 683,440. Patented Oct. l, I90l.

E. G. T. COLLES.

FEED WATER HEATER AND PURIFIER.

(Application filed Feb. 5, 1900.)

(NollodeL) gSheata-Sheet 3.

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UNITED STATES EDWARD G. T. COLLES,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FEED-WATER HEATER AND PURIFIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,440, dated October 1, 1901.

Application filed February 5, 1900. Serial No. 3.944. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD G. T. OoLLEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed -Water Heaters and Purifiers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to devices for heating and purifying feed-water; and it has for its primary object to provide a heater and pin-i her with means for receiving the water of condensation which returns to the heater as a result of condensation in the heating system, &c., and automatically discharging a portion thereof through a suitable overflow should there be a quantity in excess of that for which the heater is ordinarily designed to receive, thus saving a large percentage, if not all, of the valuable water which would otherwise be lost.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain features of novelty in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts by which the said objects and certain other objects hereinafter appearing are attained, all as fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a feed-water heater and purifier embodying my improvements, partly in vertical section, the arrangement shown being that which would ordinarily be used where the water-supply to the heateris under pressure, such as that of the city main. Fig. 2 is a side elevation taken at right angles to the View shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of'the apparatus as it appears in Fig. 1, showing certain interior parts in dotted lines. Fig. 4: is a plan view of the apparatus as it appears in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail view of avalve and rod, hereinafter described. Fig. 6 is a side elevation ofa modified form of the apparatus, showing the invention adapted for use where the supply to the heater is delivered through the agency of a special pump, the water in the heater being shown at its maximum level. Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the water at its minimum level; and Fig. 8 is a detail plan view of the floats, hereinafter described.

Like signs of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views.

In carrying out my invention I employ a shell or drum 1 of any suitable construction, in the upper part of which are arranged a number of water-diffusing devices, such as pan's 2 3, the latter being suspended from the head of the drum by hangers 4 and receiving the water-supply from the city main through supply-pipe 5 and being also adapted to receive the Water of condensation which returns from the heating system through a return-pipe 6 at the top and also through an inlet 6 at the bottom. The water deposited in the pan 3 by either or both of the pipes 5 6 discharges over its corrugated edge and falls into the shallower pans or trays 2, arranged below it and supported one above the other by I posts or standards 7 in such a manner that the overflow from one pan Will fall into the next pan below, the pans 2 being also provided with central discharge-passages 8, if desired. Below the lowermost one of the pans 2 may be arranged a filter 9 of any suitable construction, and below this latter is formed the inlet 10 for the exhaust-steam which discharges through the rain of water or spray falling from the filter, and thus heats the water and precipitates any sediment or foreign particles that may escape the filter. The

mouth of the steam-inlet 10 may be covered by any suitable oil-catcher 11.

The lower end of the shell 1 below the steaminlet 10 is of sufficient capacity to receive all of the Water of condensation that would ordinarily return to the heater from the heating system or from any other system or apparatus with which the. heater and purifier may be connected, and this water which collects in the bottom of the shell, which may be termed the settling-chamber or purewater chamber, may be conveyed to the boiler or other place of consumption through an outlet 12, arranged near the lower end thereof. By this means it Will be seen that the water may be kept in a continuous circuit through the boiler, the heating system, and the feed-water heater and purifier, thus using the same water over and over again; but in order to provide for any shortage, due to evaporation, leakage, or escape of steam,

steam-valve 25 open.

and automatically keep up the supply of purified water in the settling-chamber of the shell 1 I provide the shell within said settling-cham her with alower float 13, connected to and operating a shaft 14, which has opererative connection, through a vertical rod 15, with a lever 15, controlling a valve 16 in the supply-pipe 5, all of which may be of the usual or any suitable construction, so that when the water in the shell 1 falls below a certain point the receiving-pan 3 will be replenished through the supplypipe 5, and when the water rises, above that point the valve 16 will be closed.

The settling-chamber is made of sufficient capacity to receive all or a large percentage of the water that could run back into the feed-water heater and purifier through the pipe 6 as a result of condensation in the heating or other system without permitting such water to overflow into the exhaust-steam inlet 10; but in order to guard against the possibility' of the water rising too high in the shell 1, and thus backing up into the steaminlet, I provide the shell at the maximum water-line with an overflow-pipe 17, which leads to the sewer or other suitable place of discharge and is provided with a gate or valve 18, having operating-lever 19, which is connected by rod. 20 with a crank-arm 21 on a shaft 22, having a second upper float 23 located in the shell at a suitable distance above the lower float 13, so as to open the valve 18 when the water reaches its maximum height, the purpose of the valve 18 being of course to prevent the escape of exhaust-steam, inasmuch as, so far as discharging the water is concerned, that might be accomplished by the pipe 17 alone entering the shell at the proper elevation. When the level falls below or as far as the overflow 17, the weight of the float 23 bears down on the valve 18, through the connections already described, and closes such valve to prevent back pressure, due to heating with'exhaust-steam, from forcing same out through overflow and deprivingthe heating system of the necessary steam.

-Where a city main or a water-supply is not accessible and it is necessary to employ a pump for supplying the heater, I resort to the arrangement shown in Figs. 6 and 7. In this latter construction the heater, Withits overflow-pipe 17 and lower and upper floats 13 23, is the same as that already described; but

the rod 15, instead of being connected to the valve 16 in the water-supply pipe 5, is connected to a lever 24, which controls a steam-valve 25 in a steam-supply pipe 26, which supplies apump-engine 27 when the lower float 13 falls to a certain level, thus causing a pump 28 to elevate the water through a pipe 29 into the supply-pipe 5 as long as the lower float 13 remains at a level sufficiently low to hold the In order that the rod 15 may also be utilized for starting theboiler feed-pump when the lower float l3 rises above a certain level, such rod 15 is continued upward to one end of a walking-beam 30, suspended by a suitable bracket 31 and having its other end connected by a rod 32 to a lever 33, which operates a steam-valve 34: in a steamsupply pipe 35, leading to the boiler feedpump 37, and when the water falls below the level of overflow 17 the upper float 23 closes the valve 18 and prevents the escape of exhaust-steam. Thus it will be seen that the steam-valves 25 31 will be simultaneously opened to supply their respective pumps for forcing the water in and drawing it 01% by the rising and falling movements of the lower float 13. When the water in the shell 1 rises to the maximum level, the upper float 23 will open the valve 18 in the overflow-pipe 17 and permit the water to discharge into the sewer or other suitable place, as before described.

The tier of pans 2 is supported by suitable brackets 2*,engaging under the lowermost one of the pans, the pans individually being supported one above the other by the I posts or standards 7, before described, and in order to prevent the rush of exhaust-steam from rattling the pans andavoid the liability of their dislodgment or displacement I employ a lock consisting of a bar 38, supported by arms 39, pivoted at 4:0 to opposite sides of the receiving-pan 3 in such manner that when the bar 38 is turned downwardly it will engage over the edges of the uppermost one of the pans 2 and crowd the same downwardly firmly against the supports 7, and thus bind the entire tier of pans together.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A feed-water heater, comprising a shell, a series of water-diffusing pans supported within the shell, the water-receiving pan supported from the head. of the shell, and the lock for all the pans consisting of a bar,adapted to bind on the uppermost pan of the series of water-diffusing pans, having supportingarms pivoted, at their upper ends, to the water-receiving pan.

2. A feed-water heater comprising a shell, a series of water-diflfusing pans supported within the shell,- the water-receiving pan, hangers whereby the water-receiving pan is suspended from the head of the shell, and the lock for all the pans consisting of a bar,a.dapted to bind on the uppermost pan, of the series of water-diffusing pans, having supportingarms pivoted, at their upper ends, to the water-receiving pan 3. A feed-water heater comprising a shell having brackets, the lowermost pan supported on the brackets, the series of Lposts and series of water-difiusing pans supported on the lowermost pan, the water-receiving pan supported from the head of the shell, and the lock for all the pans consisting of a bar, adapted to bind on the uppermost pan of the series ICC of water-diffusing pans, having supportingbars pivoted, at their upper ends, to the water-receiving pan.

4. A feed-water heater comprising a shell having brackets, the lowermost pan supported on the brackets, the series of I-posts and series of water-diffusing pans supported on the lowermost pan, the water-receiving pan, hangers whereby the water-receiving pan is suspended from the head of the shell, and the lock for all the pans consisting of a'bar adapted to bind on the uppermost pan of the series of water-difiusing pans having supportingarms pivoted, at their upper ends, to the water-receiving pan.

5. A feed-water heater comprising a shell having a settling-chamber in the base thereof, an overflow-pipe extending from the settling-chamber downwardly and laterally on the exterior thereof, a valve located in the depressed laterally-extendin g part of the overflow-pipe on the exterior of the settling-chainher, a lever pivoted on the depressed laterally-extending part of the overflow-pipe exterior of the settling-chamber and connected with the valve for controlling the latter, a shaft journaled in the shell of the settlingchamber, a float secured to the inner end of the shaftwithin the settling-chamber, and a crank-arm secured to the outer end of the shaft exterior of the settling-chamber, anda rod approximately parallel with the downwardly-extending part of the overflow-pipe whereby the crank-arm is connected with the inner end of the lever.

6. A feed-water heater comprising a shell having a settling-chamber in the base thereof, a float having a shaft journaled in the shell of the settling-chamber and provided with a crank-arm, a supply-pump connected through the shell of the heater, an engine connected up with the supply-pump and having a vertical steam-pipe provided with a valve, a vertical rod connected at its lower end with the crank-arm of the shaft, a lever connecting the rod with the valve, a boiler feed-pump connected with the settling-chamber, an engine connected up with the boiler feed-pump, and having a vertical steam-pipe provided with a valve, and means whereby the last-named valve is connected with the vertical rod for operating the feed simultaneously with the supply.

7. A feed-water heater comprising a shell having a settling-chamber, the float having a shaft journaled in the wall of the settlingchamber, a boiler feed-pump connected with the settling-chamber, an engine connected with the boiler feed-pump, the steam-pipe having a valve provided with a lever and connected with the engine, a walking-beam, a rod connecting the float-shaft with one end of the walking-beam and a rod connecting the valve-lever with the other end of the walking-beam.

8. A feed-water heater comprising a shell having a settling-chamber, the float having a shaft journaled in the wall of the settlingchamber, a water-supply pipe connected with theshell,a pump connected with the water-supply pipe, an engine connected with the supply-pump, the steam pipe having a valve provided with a lever and connected with the engine of the supply-pump, a boiler feedpump connected with the settling-chamber, an engine connected with the boiler feedpump, the steam-pipe having a valve provided with a lever and connected with the engine of the boiler feed-pump, a walkingbeam, a rod connecting the float-shaft with the valve-lever of the supply-pump engine and with one end of the walking-beam, and a rod connecting the valve-lever of the boilerfeed-pump engine with the other end of the walking-beam.

EDWARD G. T. COLLES.

Witnesses:

F. A. HOPKINS, JNo. G. ELLIOTT. 

